Severus Snape and the Tutu Incident
by Emrys MK
Summary: Harry is working, which leaves Severus to dress and make up their daughter for her dance recital, a task he is woefully unprepared for.


**Title**: Severus Snape and the Tutu Incident  
**Author**: MK Malfoy  
**Characters**: Severus, Harry, OC  
**Rating**: PG  
**Words**: 2000  
**Summary**: Harry is working, which leaves Severus to dress and make up his daughter for her dance recital, a task he is woefully unprepared for.  
**Warnings**: fluffy and sweet!  
**Disclaimer**: I own none of what I write about; it is all Jo's and her friends!  
**A/N**: As I was watching my four-year-old niece's dance recital yesterday, I found myself wondering how Severus would deal with getting his daughter ready for her recital, and this is what I came up with.

There was nothing normal about dressing a four-year-old witch in a frilly little dress, tights, and slippers: it went against everything Severus Snape believed in. Nevertheless, here he was, perspiration forming on his forehead as he held a hairpin in between his lips and helped his daughter into her bright pink tutu.

For his trouble, he expected to be rewarded…

Harry had better be well-rested and prepared for a long night without sleep.

"But Daddy, you put my tutu on backwards: the hearts go in front," pouted the little girl as she glared at him. She then sighed as she removed the tutu and put it on correctly. "Where is Father? He said he'd be here to watch me do my ballet. He never comes to anything I do." The glare intensified and her chin began to quiver. "Why doesn't he ever come to watch me, Daddy?"

Oh no. Not the tears. Tears weren't good. Severus never reacted well to tears. Harry would know what to do. Reluctantly, he removed the hairpin from between his lips and sighed, trying to figure out what his husband would say. He swept back a stray piece of hair, then secured it with the hairpin. "He would be here if he could, love. You know that he is busy. We've talked about this, Lilian. He has to travel. He wanted to be here; you know that." Uhoh… a tear… more were sure to follow. No. "Please stop, sweetie. Your father would be so sad if he knew you were crying." _Great, Severus… guilt her into not crying_. Severus turned his daughter around and looked at the bun he had meticulously been working on for an hour. It wasn't as good as Harry would have done, but it would have to suffice.

"But he told me he was coming. He promised, Daddy." More tears.

Merlin, now her mascara was running down her face. He'd have to do it again. Gently, Severus wiped her tears away. "He could still come, Lilian, but if he doesn't, there isn't anything we can do about it, but why don't you and I go out and get an icecream after the recital? Would you like that?" Bribery… oh how Severus detested it when he heard parents bribing their children, and here he was doing it himself.

"Can I have chocolate swirl?" asked the sniffling little girl, her large, dark eyes glittering with unshed tears.

"You can have any flavor you like, dear. Now let's get you presentable again." Severus allowed a small smile as his daughter nodded and wiped away a new tear that had begun to fall, her little hand shaking as it swept across her small nose, a nose which looked nothing like his, and exactly like Harry's. In fact, his daughter had only one feature that was his, and that was her beautiful dark, brooding eyes, ones that looked as if they were boring through you at all times.

"Sorry I messed up my makeup, Daddy."

"It's okay, love. You had too much on as it was. Little girls aren't meant to wear makeup. I think—"

"But Daddy, we have to wear a lot of makeup so people can see us on the stage." Her voice began to quiver again.

Oh Merlin, no. Severus sighed and shook his head. "I know, Lilian. I was there when we were told that unfortunate information. I have no intention of depriving everyone from seeing how lovely my daughter looks." He then removed her makeup and began anew. No matter what his daughter had said, however, he didn't apply very much makeup this time. His daughter was a four-year-old, and Severus didn't want her growing up too fast. Yes, perhaps this was only a recital, but to him, it was a step further away from him, and Severus wasn't prepared for his daughter to grow up.

"Daddy?" asked Lilian an hour later as she looked into the mirror and admired her newly applied make-up. Her daddy was smiling at her as he sprayed her hair one last time.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

A huge grin overtook Severus's face. How was it that those three little words coming from such a little soul could mean more to Severus than anything else ever had or ever would? He hadn't known that such a thing as this existed. Harry had told him that it did, but Severus hadn't believed him. One look at his tiny daughter, four years earlier, had been all it had taken for him to believe.

"And I you, Lilian, I love you so very much."

An hour later, as Severus stood just off stage-right, he watched as his daughter tiptoed out onto the stage, along with ten other little girls. She was smiling out at the audience, which made Severus grin. He wished Harry were here to witness their little girl all dolled up. As much as all the makeup made Severus uncomfortable, he loved watching her have such a good time. She was prissy, she loved to have tea parties, and she loved rocking her baby dolls to sleep. She also loved playing like she was grown up. This was her playing grownup, while being a little girl.

Arms wrapped around him from behind.

"Sorry I'm late. She looks beautiful."

Severus covered the smaller hands with his. "Yes, she does."

"Was she upset that I wasn't here earlier? I tried to get away earlier, but couldn't. You know how Kingsley is."

It would have been easy for Severus to tell Harry an untruth, but he wouldn't do that. He didn't ever want to be lied to, so he would not lie to Harry. "She was. It seems as though you promised her that you'd be here, Harry. You could have told Kingsley you had to go; your daughter is more important than your work. We'll talk about this later; she is dancing and we shouldn't miss it. She'll only be four once." Severus felt the arms around him tighten, and felt as a head rested on his shoulder.

"Father!" cried out the little girl as she ran toward Harry when the recital was over. "You came!" She then jumped into his outstretched arms. "Did you see me? Did I do good?"

"Yes, I saw you, and you did better than good, love. You were phenomenal…er very very good," he amended when his daughter looked at him, a perplexed expression on her small face.

"Daddy said we could go out for icrecream. Can you go with us or do you have to go back to work?" Those dark eyes bored into her father, and a slight frown appeared.

"I don't have to go back to work, love. I am all yours for the next hour."

Two hours later, Harry thanked Severus for being such a wonderful daddy to their daughter, and Severus thought that he must be the luckiest wizard alive. He and Harry had their share of problems, but what couple didn't? What mattered was that Severus was happier than he had ever been; he had a husband who loved him, and a daughter who adored him. No matter how many dance recitals he had to attend, how many small faces he had to make up, how many lopsided buns he had to create, he would never tire of his fatherly duties, and no matter how many times he felt sad and exasperated about his husband's work-ethic, he would never ever take any of it for granted. He loved the life he had and knew that it could all be taken from him at any time. He had almost died five years earlier, and would have if not for Harry. Each second he lived now was a gift, and he never took it for granted, or he tried not to.

It was fortunate that he had a four-year-old to remind him when he did.

"I love you, Severus, and I'm sorry that you had to get Lilian ready all by yourself. I should have been there to help you."

"And I love you, Harry. As for your not being there early and me having to get Lilian ready by myself, don't apologize… to me. I know that she won't be little forever, and I want to hold onto her for as long as I can. I might complain to you about not knowing how to do things when it comes to her, but always know that on the inside I love every moment I spend with our daughter. She teaches me how to love more every day, and each day I spend with her, I know that I am a better person for it."

"She makes us both better people, Severus. Tonight, when she was dancing and looked over and saw me standing behind you, her face lit up. I guess you noticed that she pointed to the hearts on her tutu and curtsied to us?"

Severus chuckled. "I put the tutu on backwards; she had to turn it around. You should have heard her berating me for my mistake."

"Yeah, I wonder where she gets that from?" said Harry as he turned over and kissed Severus's neck.

"From me, of course. She looks like you and acts like you most of the time, Harry; it is quite fortunate that she has a small bit of me in her. And yes, I did see our little ballerina as she curtsied to us. You know? I have never appreciated the art of ballet, but Lilian just might change my mind." He heard Harry chuckle. "What, might I ask, was that for?"

"You. Our daughter has transformed you, and it is lovely to watch you continuing to change. Who knew, five years ago, that Severus Snape would one day help his four-year-old daughter get ready for her dance recital?"

"Certainly not me. Let's go see if she's asleep."

"You know she is, Severus; she always is," Harry said as he sat up and faced Severus.

"Yes, well, can I help it if I want to watch my daughter sleep?"

"Not any more than I can help it."

As Severus quietly opened his daughter's door, he and Harry stood in the doorway and watched their daughter sleep, the two pink roses that her father had given her, held loosely in her hand that hung over the side of the bed. They would soon fall to the floor. Severus was thankful that he hadn't missed this moment, and he was more thankful that Harry had seen it.

"I'll never miss anything she does again, Severus. You're right; she is more important than anything else, and I don't want to miss watching her grow up."

It might be the truth, then again, perhaps not. Either way, for now, Severus would believe Harry. He closed the door softly, turned, and kissed his husband. "Let's go to bed."

"And in the morning you can help _me_ get dressed," Harry replied, a sly smirk on his face.

"Not likely, brat. The only person I'll help dress is my little princess, but I'd be willing to help you undress tonight, even though the only thing I have to remove is your robe."

"You'd do that, for me? Help me take off my robe?" asked Harry in an exaggerated, excited voice.

Without a word, Severus set to work, and within five seconds, Harry was robeless. "I think you'll find, Mr. Potter, that I have many talents." Green eyes glittered as they looked into his, and Severus again couldn't believe that this was his life. "Now I think you have some more making up to do, yes? I do hope Kingsley knows you will be in late tomorrow. I do not plan on allowing you to sleep." Harry grinned and looked younger than his twenty three years. "Well, if you keep grinning like that, I just might be talked into helping you get dressed tomorrow. Thank goodness you won't be needing to wear a tutu."


End file.
